Chain Reaction
by xXChiasaHimuraXx
Summary: If you had the power to change the past, would you? This is the question Yusei receives from a mysterious stranger. Will he accept the invitation to stop Zero Reverse from ever happening?
1. Chapter 1 Reverse

Author's Notes: NEW STORY! YAY^_^ Just a random idea I had a while back...

Anyway, for anyone who hasn't read anything I've written yet, here's the low-down (if you have read something already then this is old hat so feel free to skip this bit) : No reviews means no new chapters. I'm not gonna stop writing just 'cause no one reviews, but it _is _nice to know that people are reading and enjoying what I write. Plus, if I think no one is reading and/or enjoying, then what's the point in updating?

Flame if you want, I really don't care, but be warned: Depending on what you say, you might find me blocking you. However, I _do _know the difference between a flame and constructive criticism! Feel free the criticize constructively^_^

All right, I'm done rambling now (you didn't click on this story to hear me talk), so on with the story!

And, oh yeah, I don't own Yugioh! 5D's, just the plot of my story and the characters I created^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter One - Reverse<strong>

'So, Yusei Fudo, you want to change the past, eh?' the Time Caster thought to himself. 'I don't think you would if you knew what I know! ...Ah, well, not all of us can be time casters, I guess; not all of us can have the power to see a different end for the events of the past if one thing had changed!' The Time Caster paced about his chamber, black cloak swishing across the grey cobblestone floor, hands clasped behind his back. This man was a sorcerer of sorts, who had the power to go back in time and change one thing in a person's past. He had just witnessed through his seeing stone Yusei Fudo wishing for a way to go back in time to stop Zero Reverse from ever happening. He and his friends, Crow Hogan and Jack Atlas, were at the end of their ropes; money was tight, the Time Caster knew, and none of them were sure how much longer they could hold out. The situation had grown tense over the past few months, the three friends snapping and yelling constantly at each other - even the ever-calm Yusei had begun to break under the stress. The raven-haired teen was starting to feel as if he were losing his friends in this madness. Hence the wish: If Zero Reverse had never happened, they wouldn't have to worry about money; they would all have families and wouldn't be sharing that apartment in the first place.

'I suppose if that's what you really want, though,' the Time Castor thought, 'maybe I should give it to you!'

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><p>Yusei could hear every gust of wind as it slammed into the building that contained the makeshift apartment he called home. He could tell the city was in for quite a storm that evening. 'I hope Crow and Jack make it back alright,' the raven-haired duelist thought. Crow was on the clock out delivering his packages for the day; who knew how long he'd be gone. Yusei's work was a big chunk of the their income, and he hadn't had many jobs lately so Jack was out seriously looking for any work he could get. Until this point, Jack hadn't really cared, but the situation had finally hit home with him that they may well be evicted from their garage apartment if they didn't get another source of income - and fast.<p>

"I wish Zero Reverse had never happened," he spoke to no one in-particular as there was no one else in the garage with him; he had been tinkering with one of the only repairs he had at the moment, but he was, once again, finding himself distracted by this thought. "Everything would be so much better if it hadn't!"

"Maybe I can help you with that," a steely tenor voice spoke. Yusei whirled around from his worktable towards the door in surprise. There stood a man in a black cloak; only his thin mouth was visible below the hood.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said: Maybe I can change your past."

"Who are you?" Yusei accused. "And just how gullible do you think I am?"

"Why, I am the Time Caster, Yusei Fudo! If anyone can change past events - change the course of history, really - it would be me!"

"Oh, really," Yusei stated skeptically. "Then prove it."

The Time Caster smirked. "Alright, I shall. That cut on your left hand - a knife slipped earlier today, and it caught your finger."

"So what?" Yusei winced as he remembered; that sharp knife had hurt quite a bit as it caught his thumb.

The Time Caster didn't say a word, only extended his right hand outward in front of him, as if motioning Yusei to stop. A split second later Yusei was staring at himself as he had stood in the kitchen earlier that day. He was cutting an apple to go with his lunch. He hadn't dried his hands after washing the apple so they had still been wet when he picked up the knife; it had slipped in his grip as he tried to use it. But the vision of himself that he saw now dried his hands before picking up the knife. Then the scene changed, and he was back in the garage, no longer watching himself.

"Look at your hand, Yusei Fudo," the Time Castor murmured. "What do you see now?"

The raven-haired teen raised his left hand to look at it. Much to his surprise, he found no Band-Aid wrapped around his thumb and no cut either. Yusei's eyes went wide; he couldn't believe what had just happened!

"So, Yusei Fudo, do you believe me now?"

"I don't think I have much choice," he responded, still in awe.

"Shall we a-way, then?"

"Huh?"

"To the past, Yusei - more specifically, to your past - to stop Zero Reverse. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"More than anything!"

The Time Caster gave a short laugh. "I'm not sure it is, but it's your wish." Once again, he extended his hand in the same fashion as he had a moment before.

A split second later, Yusei was staring down at the old Reactor, at his father facing Roman Goodwin.

"The Director has demoted you, Fudo; you are no longer the Head of Operations here at MIDS. I have been appointed in your place," Roman gloated.

"I know what you're up to, Roman, and I've got news for you: It's not going to work!" Hiero Fudo chuckled. "The safe guards are already in place; you're too late!"

"Oh, you mean these safe guards?" Roman chuckled as he pulled out five cards, all depicting a dragon on the front. Hiero went white.

Without another word, Hiero surged forward, grabbing all five dragons. The men around Roman gave chase, shooting stun guns after him, but Hiero was faster and able to out-run the other men. Rex Goodwin found him hiding in a side passage a few moments later, wounded but still alive.

"Rex," Hiero gasped, "you are my friend so I trust you to do this for me! You must seal the towers! I don't know what the Reactor will do if your brother causes it to spin in reverse, but I do know it won't be good! Go quickly; before it's too late!"

Yusei was confused; he already knew that Rex failed to seal the towers in time, so how was this changing anything? As he watched, however, he was taken by surprise as first one tower and then another were sealed; the third and forth towers were soon sealed as well. Rex had somehow succeeded.

"NOOOO!" Roman's voice reverberated throughout the Reactor as it did not spin in reverse as planned.

Yusei was stunned; this Time Caster had really done it! But wait... the scene was disappearing, fading into black. Had this been nothing more than a dream? No! It hadn't been, for there before him once more stood the Time Caster.

"Are you sure you wish to continue this?" the cloaked figure asked. "It is not yet too late to turn back."

"No." Yusei shook his head firmly. "I want to keep going."

"Alright," the Time Caster sighed. "But I can already tell you that you may not like everything you see. And be forewarned: There is only so much time for you to change your mind about this. After that time frame, it will be too late, and you will have to deal with the consequences."

Yusei nodded; he understood but wasn't worried. What cause would he have to want to reverse this change? He was sure there wouldn't be reason for that.

...Would there be?

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><p>Author's Notes: So tell me: Is this worth continuing? Any takers?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 Childhood Christmas

Author's Notes: Now we start to see how things would have been different... Enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Two - Childhood Christmas<strong>

"Before I let you see more, there are a few things you should know," the Time Caster stated. "A little background, if you will, for you will not see everything that will become your memories after this change is complete. What you are seeing will replace the memories you have know; you will not remember what is no longer the past.

"Now, for that background information. After Roman almost destroyed the city, your father went to Director Kevin Carmine and explained the whole thing. Roman was thrown in the Facility, and your father regained his position with MIDS. After a few more months of research, he was able to harness the power more effectively, and it became the main power source for Domino City.

"Just after your first birthday, your mother became pregnant once more. Nine months later a baby girl was born; her name is Kai.

"This sets the stage for what you will see next. It's Christmas Eve the year you turned four years old; your sister is three."

The black began to lighten around Yusei, the Time Caster disappearing with it. Before Yusei appeared a new scene: A living room came into view, one that had been decorated for Christmas, with toys scattered here and there as well. Yusei recognized it as the style of room typical for the Tops. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the back wall through which Yusei could see that night at already fallen. A Christmas tree was standing to one side surrounded by brightly wrapped packages of all sizes and shapes. A fire burned merrily in a fireplace situated across the room from the tree. Paper cut-out snowflakes were taped to one wall as well as to the windows, with the remains on a coffee table located between two comfortable-looking couches. From the kitchen issued the delicious aroma of Christmas cookies baking; on the counter tops were seemingly endless rows of an endless number of different kinds of cookies just begging for someone to eat them. From somewhere, soft Christmas carols were playing.

Then people started fading into the room as well. First was a young woman with chocolate brown hair pulled back in a messy bun and eyes to match in color. She was just removing the last sheet of cookies from the oven. Yusei recognized her as his mother from the framed photo Crow had found at the old Reactor while he himself had been dueling Roman. Next a man faded in. He had jet-black hair and bright blue eyes: Yusei's father. Across the coffee table from this man appeared two children. The boy had black spiky hair like his father, but the child's eyes were a much darker shade of blue. He was wearing blue jeans with a black t-shirt and white socks. Next to the four-year old Yusei was a girl with brown hair so dark it was almost black and dark brown eyes to match her mother's. She wore a simple red dress. Both Yusei and Kai were holding a pair or scissors and a sheet of white paper each. Their father was laughing as he pulled off two pieces of tape with which to hang the newly formed snowflakes.

"All right, you two!" their father was saying as he returned to his seat opposite his children. "Last ones! Then it's off to bed!"

"Awww!" the two complained in unison.

"He's right," their mother, Kara, chimed. "Santa can't come until you two are asleep! You wouldn't want him to pass you by because you weren't in bed, would you?"

Without another word, Little Yusei and Kai dropped their scissors and paper, and both rushed up the staircase to get ready for bed. A moment later the two appeared at the top of the stairs; Little Yusei was wearing dark blue pajama pants with a long sleeve shirt of the same color that buttoned down the front, and his sister was wearing a simple white night gown. The two came rushing back down, hugged and kissed their parents goodnight, and rushed back up to their rooms. Hiero and his wife soon followed suit after unplugging the Christmas tree lights and putting out the fire in the fireplace.

Time sped up, and dawn quickly broke through the windows facing east. Little Yusei and Kai were the first ones up, barely after dawn.

"YAY! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" they shrieked as they came crashing down the stairs, sounding like a heard of elephants. Christmas stockings were soon dug into, new toys and candy everywhere in moments. Their parents came down the stairs and were instantly mugged by their two children.

"SANTA CAME, SANTA CAME!" they shrieked, hugging their parent's legs.

"We see, we see!" Hiero commented. Little Yusei and Kai broke away from their parents, running back to where they had emptied the contents of their stockings.

"Can we PLEASE open presents now, too?" Kai begged.

"You know the rules, Kai," her father stated. "No presents until after Christmas dinner! Besides, you have plenty of new toys to keep you occupied until then."

Again, time seemed to speed up to the watching Yusei, as dinner preparations were made. The next scene before his eyes was a splendid Christmas dinner: Ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green been casserole, sweet corn, fruit salad, dinner rolls; there was enough food to feed a small army, and it was more than Yusei had ever seen before! Martha had always done the best she could, of course, but there had never been such a meal as this! The sight of so much delicious-looking food made his mouth water.

When the four were finished feasting, all lent a hand to clear the dishes from the table. While their parents finished putting the rest of the food away, Little Yusei and Kai took the presents from under the tree and sorted them into four piles according to who would be receiving them.

"Alright, Kai," her father finally stated, "now we can open presents!" At his words, wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows all went flying up in the air. In a matter of moments, all the presents had been unwrapped - except two very special ones with Yusei's name on the tag.

"Thanks, Mom and Dad!" Little Yusei and Kai chorused.

"Ah, don't thank us yet, Son!" their father exclaimed. "Your mother and I have one more, very special present for you, Yusei!" He stood from his chair and walked over to a closet concealed under the staircase. He returned with two packages, one small and square, the other large and oblong in shape. The oblong package, Yusei soon found, was a duel disk that fit his arm perfectly. The other was -

"A Duel Monsters deck!" Little Yusei gasped, eyes wide with surprise and excitement.

"So, do you like it?" his father asked.

Yusei jumped up and threw his arms around his father's neck. "I LOVE IT! This is the best Christmas EVER!"

Hiero laughed, returning his son's embrace. "I thought you might!"

"Will you teach me how to duel?" he asked excitedly, still sitting on his dad's lap.

"Of course I will! Merry Christmas, Son!"

"Merry Christmas, Daddy!"

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><p>"Take a good, long look at your sister, Yusei," the Time Caster spoke as the scene froze. "You won't be seeing her again. The next scene you will see is after you turn six; Kai died of cancer when you were five, leaving you as the only child. Your mother never did have any more children." With his words everything faded to black once again. "She won't be the only one, either. The cure for the type of cancer she died from was found in minerals below the city after it split. Without that split, no one ever thought to look for anything under the city."<p>

Yusei was silent; he had no reply to the Time Caster's accusation. When he finally spoke, he changed the subject. "Show me my friends; I want to know if they are as happy as I."

"As you wish."

Once again the black began to lighten. Another living room - once again in the Tops but one not quite as prestigious - appeared. Two little kids of the same age with short orange hair were running around, and a third - a baby - was lying on the floor. The boy was wearing blue jeans with an orange t-shirt; the girl, a dark green, long sleeve dress that went down to her knees. Yusei recognized the boy as Crow; the other running child must have been his twin sister. Presents had already been opened as evidenced by the torn wrapping paper and boxes strewn about the room. Both Crow and his sister had a shiny, new duel disk strapped to their left arm, and Crow was challenging her to a duel.

This scene faded, and, in its place, appeared another. This living room was in a townhouse. A young child with ice-blue hair and golden eyes was teaching a younger boy with yellow hair and green eyes how to duel: It was Kalin and what must have been his younger brother. Kalin, too, wore blue jeans but with a grey, collared shirt. His brother was dressed the same, except his shirt was black. As Yusei watched, a little girl in a white dress came toddling into the room; she had blue hair a little darker than Kalin's and green eyes to match her other brother's. Here presents had already been opened as well; as the little girl toddled into the room, she tripped on a box, falling flat on her face. When she started crying, Kalin jumped up from his seat on the couch, picked her up off the floor, and held her until the tears stopped.

This scene soon faded, too, with another living room in another townhouse coming into view. Once again, wrapping paper, boxes, and bows were strewn across the floor. A young child with blond hair and violet eyes was sitting on the couch next to a man Yusei assumed to be his father. Jack - for this is who the boy was - was looking through his own new deck of Duel Monster cards. He was also wearing blue jeans but with a white, collared shirt. A woman sat in a rocking chair holding a baby with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Yusei smiled as the scene faded to black, knowing his friends were all happy as well. Once again the Time Caster stood before him.

"Are you sure you still wish to continue this?" the cloaked figure asked again. "There is still time for you to change your mind."

"What reason would I have to change everything back to what is was? All of us are happy now; why would I want us to go back to misery?" Yusei questioned.

"If that is your wish, then let us continue."

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><p>Author's Notes: Anyone think that Yusei made a mistake yet? Lol.<p>

Note: Christmas traditions in this chapter are based off how my family has always done Christmas, down to the dinner!

Anyway, thanks to the few who reviewed last chapter^_^ Reviews make my day!


	3. Chapter 3 Childhood Friends and Rivals

Author's Notes: Yet another chapter already! Lol I plan to update this everyday (though if I don't, please dont kill me lol) since I previous wrote this... like quite awhile ago... And yes, I'm _just now _getting it up since I was previously working on getting other stories up that had been previously written or had been in the process of writing...

And now I'm just rambling... so enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Three - Childhood Friends and Rivals<strong>

Warm sunlight streamed into the large class room through large windows set in one wall above a counter top. Six round tables took up one-forth of the room, each with four chairs around it. A second forth was a great, relatively empty space under the windows in the same half of the room as the tables. This space held a large, rectangular, blue rug; a wooden rocking chair sat just off of it, the back facing the windows. Next to the chair on either side was a bookcase filled to the brim with large picture books. The other half of the room was lined with shelves full of toys of all kinds and a play kitchen set, as well. The door led into this portion of the room.

As Yusei watched, twenty-two children and a teacher faded into the room. Among the children he spotted Crow; Yusei was equally stunned to realize that the teacher was Martha! As the scene continued, Yusei watched as his mother escorted the six-year old version of himself into the classroom. Yusei had been shy when he'd grown up in Satellite, but this Yusei didn't hesitate to break away from his mother to meet his fellow classmates.

Little Yusei approached two students who were sitting on the floor, their backs to the other students in the room. "Whatcha doing?" he asked, looking over their shoulders. "Oh! Duel Monsters!"

"You like dueling?" one with navy-blue hair and grey eyes asked.

Little Yusei nodded. "My daddy gave me a deck for Christmas a couple years ago, and he's been teaching me ever since!"

"Cool! My daddy taught me how, too!" the other boy responded. He had light brown hair and violet eyes.

"My name's Dicar," the first stated. "That's Ryan."

"I'm Yusei! Nice to meet you!" With the introductions over with, Yusei plopped down on the floor next to his new friends. He didn't get to stay there long, though.

"Alright, children!" Martha called out. "It's time to get started! First, I'll tell you what table you will be sitting at for at least the first few weeks." She walked over to one of the tables. "At table number one we will have Yusei Fudo, Dicar Kyosuke, Crow Hogan, and Ryan Hakata. At table number two..."

"Yes!" Little Yusei cheered in a whisper. "We get to sit together!"

"Yeah," Dicar whispered, "but we also have to sit by _him_!"

"Huh?"

"Crow Hogan."

"What's so bad about him?"

"Well... He's just... kinda weird is all. You'll see."

Needless to say, Little Yusei was annoyed by Crow by the time morning recess rolled around - though it was mostly because Dicar and Ryan were annoyed with the orange-haired boy. Little Yusei didn't want to lose his new friends, so when they started picking on Crow during recess, he joined them in calling the boy mean names. Poor Crow was on the verge of tears.

"Hey!" someone shouted from behind the three boys. "You're not being very nice!"

They turned around to find a first grader with ice-blue hair and gold eyes, hands on his hips, staring then down with a frown. Being afraid of the bigger boy, they backed down and sulked off.

"Th - thanks," Crow stuttered to the older boy.

"Don't mention it!" he responded. "I just can't stand seeing people bullied is all. The name's Kalin Kessler, by the way. I'm in the first grade, but we can still be friends if you want!"

Crow broke into a smile, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Really? That would be great!"

The scene faded to black once more.

"Wait," Yusei questioned. "So Crow and Kalin were never my friends?"

The Time Caster nodded. "They aren't the only ones, I'm afraid. Keep watching."

A new scene faded in. It was recess still, but Yusei could tell it was a different day - a different year, actually. He was standing with his duel disk out, five cards in his hand, but he was a few years older now. Somewhere in the time between, yellow highlights had made themselves visible in his spiky, black hair. His clothes had changed, as well: It was now the outfit he recognized as the one he always wore. The black t-shirt had been replaced by his normal sleeveless, black shirt with the red emblem; his blue jacket had been added as well, though without the amber gems. The only other thing missing were his brown riding gloves.

The younger Yusei's opponent was also familiar. Violet eyes snapped from under blond hair: It was Jack Atlas, and this duel was obviously not a friendly one. The two duelists were surrounded on all sides by members of both of their classes; Kalin and Crow could be seen on the side cheering on the blond. Jack was on top with 1800 life points and had a single monster on his field, but it was now his move; Yusei had just ended his turn with a face down. Yusei also had a single monster on his field with 1200 life points remaining.

Jack drew a card, giving a smirk when he saw what it was. "You're done-for, Fudo! I summon Dark Resonator to the field! And now from two come one! I syncro-summon a beast of awesome power and might: Come forth Red Dragon Archfiend (ATT: 3000, DEF: 2500)! Now, take out Fudo's Junk Warrior (ATT: 2300, DEF: 1300)!" Yusei didn't try to stop the attack; he didn't even look phased about his monster being destroyed or his life points dropping to 500. "I end my turn with a face-down."

"Good," Yusei stated. "It's about time!" Jack growled, irritated at his opponent's comment. Yusei drew a card from his deck. "Perfect! First, I activate the Graceful Revival trap card to bring back Speed Warrior (ATT: 900, DEF: 400) from my graveyard. Then I summon Junk Syncron (ATT: 1300, DEF: 900) to the field! When Junk Syncron is successfully summoned, I can then summon a level two or below monster from my hand: Say hello to Sonic Chick (ATT: 300, DEF: 300)! Then from my hand, I activate the spell Level Up to increase the level of my Speed Warrior by one! You're not the only one who can syncro-summon after all, Jack! From the depths of the darkness appears a creature you cannot escape: Come forth Hundred-Eyes Dragon (ATT: 3000, DEF: 2500)!"

"Lot of good that does you, Stupid!" Jack scoffed. "Our dragons have the same attack points!"

"Not for long, they don't!" Yusei retorted. "Not after I activate the Dragon's Realm field spell! For every card with 'dragon' in it's name that's on the field - both my playing field and yours! - my beast gains an additional 200 attack points! Now then, Hundred-Eyes Dragon, destroy Red Dragon Archfiend!"

Jack laughed. "Think again! My dragon's not going anywhere - but yours sure is! I reveal my face-down, Mirror Force! This card takes your attack and throws is right back at you, destroying your monster! Then I activate my other face-down, Devil's Destruction! When you opponent's monster is destroyed during his own battle phase, he takes damage equal to half of the destroyed monster's attack points!"

Yusei staggered back, having been taken off guard, as his life points dropped to zero. Jack sauntered across the space the two had been dueling in, followed by Kalin and Crow, as the crowd dispersed. "And I won the deal, don't forget," Jack stated. Yusei glared at the blond. "You and your little posse have to stop picking on him." The blond jerked a thumb over at Crow.

"And if we don't?"

"Then I'll simply humiliate you in front of everyone - AGAIN - unless by some slim chance you gain a few skills first." Yusei growled, glaring at the blond. "Face it, Yusei; you can't beat me in a duel. Just give it up and leave the poor kid alone." With that, Jack stalked off, Kalin and Crow following once again.

"One of these days I'll - " Yusei spat.

"Don't waste you breath, Yus'," Ryan cut in. "Atlas isn't worth it."

Once again the scene faded into black, and there before Yusei stood the Time Caster. "There's still time to change your mind, Yusei. There is still time to go back to being friends with Crow and Kalin; Jack, as well, could still be your friend instead of your rival."

Yusei hesitated in his answer this time. He had only wanted a better life for himself and his friends; so far it was better, but he didn't like the idea of not having those three as friends. When he responded at last, however, it was still the same answer as every time thus far: "I don't want to back to the way life once was."

"Very well, then," the Time Caster sighed. "We shall continue on then."

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><p>Author's Notes: I feel I must apologize for the horrible writing of the duel. I'm not very familiar with the rules of the actual game, so if something isn't right, that's why (though if something isn't right, please tell me how it's wrong... It'd really help me out for future stories^_^). Although, one thing I do know is wrong with the duel. Anyone catch it? (If not I'm not gonna tell XD)<p>

Hehe... lots of foreshadowing in this part... Anyone catch all of this either? Lol it's okay if you didn't; I'm sure you'll see it later^_^

Anyway, don't forget to review, por favor! It makes my day^_^


	4. Chapter 4 Prep School

Author's Notes: Well, one person finally reviewed the last chapter, so I'm keeping my word about updating. Don't forget guys, no reviews equals no new chapters...

Enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Four - Duel Academy Junior High Prep School<strong>

"So what about Akiza?" Yusei asked. "I haven't seen anything about her yet."

"She's actually coming in soon," the Time Caster responded. "You meet her for the first time when you are in the seventh grade at Duel Academy Junior High Prep School; she is in the grade below, so you run into her after the both of you are in the same school as you went to two different elementary schools.

"Speaking of school, you're a very bright young man who had skipped two grades of math; as a seventh grader, you are taking the same class as a freshman at Duel Academy High. Dicar is in the same boat you are; Ryan skipped only one year of math but is also in an advanced English class. Kalin and Crow are both in all normal classes, while Jack also skipped a year of math, placing him in the same math class you are in. Akiza is an exceptionally good duelist and so skipped a year of dueling courses, which is how the two of you meet. As you are about to find out, her early life was not affected by Zero Reverse having never occurred."

A school cafeteria faded in, students standing in line, mulling about looking for a table to eat lunch at, or already sitting and chowing down. All the students wore the same customary uniforms of the high school students: a magenta coat with a pleated skirt for the girls and a deep blue coat with navy pants and a neck tie for the boys. At a round table near a wall of windows sat three boys and two girls: It was Yusei, Dicar, and Ryan with two girls the watching the Yusei recognized instantly as Elodie Kumari and Naomi Mori.

The junior-high Yusei gave a low whistle as a girl with magenta hair strutted by. "Who's the girl?" he asked.

"You mean the Witch?" Dicar responded. "That's Akiza Izinski; she's in the grade below us with Elodie."

"Really, Dicar?" Yusei questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You really believe in witches?"

"She isn't a witch, per se," Naomi explained. "She's a psychic, but, unlike Elodie, she has no control when she duels so she ends up destroying everything around her and hurting her opponent, too. That's why everyone calls her a witch; the Black Rose Witch because of the plant type deck she uses, actually."

"I've seen her duel before," Ryan added, "for her entrance exam. The term 'witch' really does fit..."

"ELODIE!"

The other girl at the table groaned. "Just great! I thought he had second lunch!"

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack snapped.

"Uhm... Sitting with my friends?"

Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her up from her seat. "Come on!" he stated as he pulled her away. "And I don't want to hear you calling those scumbags your 'friends' ever again, you hear me?"

"Hoo! Nice guy!" Dicar commented.

"Don't be so harsh, Dicar," Naomi criticized. "He has reason to be bitter right now; his parents just got a divorce."

"You're standing up for Jack Atlas?" Yusei asked incredulously. "He's always been that way! I'm not surprised he pulled Elodie away; he's never been a fan of us."

"He's just protective, is all! And be that as it may, I can't help but feel at least a little sorry for him..."

"I sure don't!" Yusei scoffed. "Why should I feel sorry for that jerk?"

"You're the one sounding like a jerk right now, Yusei," the brown-haired girl retorted.

The raven-haired male locked his blue eyes on her green ones and simply glared at her in response at the accusation.

"It's true, and you can't deny it, Yusei." She crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. Before Yusei had a chance to respond, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Yusei headed off for Duel Gym while his friends headed the other way towards their various other classes. As he entered the gym, he saw Akiza standing off to one side by herself. Not believing she was a witch as his friends had insisted, Yusei approached the lone girl. "Akiza, isn't it?" he asked her.

"What's it to you?" she asked coldly, bitterly.

"Well, I just noticed you were standing here alone, and - "

"Maybe I like being alone!"

"I find that hard to believe! A pretty girl like you - "

"Just leave me alone!" Akiza stalked off towards the other side of the gym.

'Yeesh,' Yusei thought. 'Maybe she really is what they say...'

"All right, everyone!" the instructor called out. "Let's get started! First up on the floor, Akiza Izinski and Kaeru Ramus. On deck are Katsuya Pegasus and Devlin Ishtar. In the hold are Valon Doma and Blair Shepherd."

Needless to say it was a short duel as Akiza was way out of the other student's league; Yusei also had his proof of her power as she tore up the floor. He hoped he'd never have to face her a duel! Akiza had wiped the floor with Kaeru in two short turns, not to mention the bruises he would certainly have the next morning.

"Ahem," the instructor cleared his throat. "Ah... Well... Okay, next up on the other field..."

The voices faded with the scene until all was silent black. "Let me guess: You would still like to continue, Yusei?" Once again the Time Caster was asking his age-old question. "There is still a little time yet..."

Again Yusei hesitated and for longer this time. It wasn't exactly what he had hoped for. Jack came from a broken home which wasn't much better than no family at all in his opinion. Akiza was still the troubled girl she had been before the Fortune Cup; what if no one came to rescue her this time? And as for himself...

"I don't know," he murmured, ducking his head. "This isn't exactly what I thought it'd be."

"I warned you, however brief, that it would be different," the Time Caster spoke gently. "Even that you may not like what you see. But you must decide now: Will you continue on or turn back, Yusei Fudo? For this is your past, and only you can decide."

The raven-haired boy continued to hesitated, caught between what felt like to him to be a rock and a hard place.

"Come now, boy! You must decide now! The time for thinking is past!"

He couldn't decide which to choose; neither option looked terribly promising at the moment. In the end, however, curiosity won out.

"I'll continue on."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Forgot to mention: Elodie Kumari is used with permission and approval from ElodieKumari94. In other words, I don't own her.<p>

Reviews? Pretty please? I love hearing what you people think^_^


	5. Chapter 5 Senior Year

Author's Notes: You all should be thanking both DarkYami1214 and 14Miss Lex Vandesco14 for this story's continuation; those two are the only people who reviewed the last two chapters, respectively. So here it is. You finally get to see what everyone's up to in this chapter. Some Jack and Carly... Some Leo and Luna... I think I got everyone in...

Once again, I don't own Elodie; she is ElodieKumari94's OC and is used with permission and approval from the creator and this applies to every chapter here-after so I don't have to keep typing it. However, Naomi is mine - so no stealing!... Not that anyone on here would ever do that^_^

Anyway. Enjoy.

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><p><strong>Chapter Five - Yusei's Senior Year<strong>

"If that is your wish," the Time Caster murmured, "then let us continue."

As he spoke, another scene began to fade in, one much like the previous. Once again it was a cafeteria, but this one was filled with high school students. Yusei, Dicar, and Ryan could once again be seen seated at a round table next to a wall of windows. This time, however, the three friends were surrounded by quite a few other people; Naomi was among the crowd, but she was barely recognizable to the watching Yusei. The Naomi before him now had short, dyed hair. The bottom layer was blond, the middle layer was her normal nutmeg brown, and the top layer had been dyed blood red.

The members of the senior class were easy to pick out as they were exempt from wearing uniforms for their final week of classes, and Naomi was no exception. Apart from her hair, what made her hardly recognizable was the way she was dressed: She wore an ocean-blue, V-neck camisole paired with a black miniskirt. For shoes she wore black leather, stiletto boots that came up to just below her knees.

The watching Yusei couldn't believe his eyes; the Naomi Mori he knew would never dye her hair, much less be dressed the way she was! She had always loved her hair the way it was: When he had known her, it had been a little past her shoulders, and she wouldn't think of having it any other length or color. As for clothing, she wasn't one for dressing in so little material as that.

The situation only grew worse as he listened in on the conversation.

"Personally I'm glad she's gone!" Naomi was saying. "It'll make this last week a little more bearable without that witch around!"

"Couldn't agree more!" Yusei laughed. "In my opinion Akiza and that Sayer guy she ran off with deserve each other!"

"How can you be so nice, Yusei?" Dicar hooted. "She doesn't even deserve him, that little witch! I don't know much about that Sayer guy, but he couldn't possibly be as bad as Akiza!"

Elodie and Crow, shaking their heads and frowning, were listening to the popular group from a few tables away.

"Ya know," Crow stated thoughtfully, "I had to work on a project with Akiza once; she ended up being really pretty nice once she saw that I didn't mind being paired with her and that I didn't care she's a psychic... She's just like everyone else underneath that facade she puts on."

Elodie nodded once in agreement. "Can you blame her for being so bitter? I mean, look at them! Being that way is probably the only way she knows to survive their hatred." She paused for a moment, looking down at her arms folded on the tabletop. "I'm kinda glad Jack forced me away from those guys in Junior High now; if he hadn't, I'd probably be over there, too, making fun of Akiza. I feel sorry for the poor girl; it's not her fault she never had anyone to teach her to control her powers. I, at least, had my dad."

"One of these days the world is gonna come crashing down," Crow agreed in an icy tone, "and it's people like _them_ who will be responsible for it."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Yusei!" a young, aqua-haired boy called out as he and his twin sister stepped out of a silver car. Yusei, too, had just pulled to a stop in the Tops, returning from school.<p>

"Hey, Leo! Luna!" he called back. "What's up?"

Luna smiled pleasantly, but proceeded to follow her mother in the opposite direction; Yusei knew she didn't like him very much. Leo went running up to Yusei as he dismounted from his midnight-black, custom-made duel runner; Yusei also knew that this young boy looked up to him since the raven-haired man had taught him to duel in the absence of the twins' father. "So, I got some new cards for my deck today! Would you maybe wanna come over and help me come up with some cool, new combos?" Leo asked, excitement shining in his green eyes.

The raven-haired boy nodded once, smiling. "Sure! Why not? I've certainly got nothing better to do!"

* * *

><p>"That was quite the duel, Jack!" a man spoke approaching the blond duelist as he removed his helmet.<p>

"Why, thank you, Director Carmine! Say... uh... Was your daughter here watching, by any chance?" Jack asked in response.

"Who, Carly? Yeah, she's wandering around here somewhere with a couple of friends. She'll have to show up eventually, though," the Director stated with a wink, "because I have the car keys!"

"All right, Daddy," a voice spoke in a smooth alto tone. "We can go now." The voice belonged to none-other than the director's daughter, Carly, who had just approached. But the Carly before Yusei's eyes now was not the same as before, anymore than Naomi had been her same self. This Carly still had black hair, but now it was cut short, just barely sweeping her shoulders. Her deep grey eyes, once obscured by think glasses, were perfectly visible and shown warmly in the light. She wore a simple green dress that looked stunning on her; it was sleeveless with a swooping, gathered neck, and the skirt reached to just above her knees. On her feet were open-toed, black heels; she was probably the only girl in the world who could pull off wearing such an outfit to a turbo duel.

"Hello, Ms. Carmine," Jack greeted, obviously happy to see her. "How did you like the match?"

"Hello, Mr. Atlas," she responded boredly. "I liked it just fine, thank you. You did quite well, as ever."

"Thank you; I try." An awkward silence ensued.

Finally Director Carmine broke into it. "Well, should we get home, Daughter?" Carly nodded. "See you later, Jack!" He waved and then he and his daughter were gone.

Jack stood for a moment, looking rather dejected. He didn't hear when someone approached from behind. When the person spoke, it made Jack jump.

"A little love-sick, eh, Son?"

"No!" Jack responded, turning to face his father. "Well... maybe."

"Don't worry," his father stated, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder. "She'll notice you eventually. If she doesn't, it just means there's someone better out there for you! C'mon; let's get some grub, eh?"

* * *

><p>The scenes seemed to be flashing by before Yusei's eyes. Instead of slowly fading from one thing to another, it was an abrupt change of scenery. He could only watch, mesmerized, as time flew by. Now before his eyes was the Arcadia Movement building. He saw Akiza and Sayer standing in a deserted hallway talking softly. Sayer had one hand flat on the wall above Akiza's shoulder; Akiza herself was still in her school uniform, leaning against the wall, head down, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment.<p>

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Akiza," Sayer was murmuring softly to her. "No one will ever hurt you again. I promise, Akiza; I promise you will have revenge in due time on all who have wronged you. I love you, Akiza."

"Oh, Sayer!" Akiza whispered, burying her head in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her to himself.

"You'll never have to be alone again," he whispered in her ear as he kissed the top of her head.

"STOP!" Yusei yelled, slamming his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. "MAKE IT STOP!" Behind his eyelids, he saw everything go dark. He slowly opened his eyes to find nothing before him except the Time Caster. Yusei's eyes were now wide with fear and his breaths came as shuddering gasps.

"Make it stop!" he whispered. "I changed my mind; take me back to how it was!"

"I'm sorry, Yusei," the Time Caster murmured, "but it's too late. You will have to bear the consequences of your choice now."

"WHAT?" he gasped; the breath caught in his throat, making it impossible to breathe. "No... It... it can't be!"

"I warned you time and again that there would only be so much time for you to turn back the clock; that time has gone past, I'm afraid, and now you will have to see your decision through to the bitter end."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: The scene with Leo and Luna seems a little random now, but DO NOT forget it! It's very important later^_^ ...Hehe... Poor Jack; the tables are turned in this one; now Jack is falling for Carly and she wants nothing to do with him XD.<p>

Oh, I almost forgot: If you liked Naomi in the previous chapter and want to know how Yusei and the gang know her, let me know! How she knows Yusei, however, is a little different than the story of how she knows everyone else... I will only post her story if you guys want to read it; otherwise I won't bother.

If you want to know more about Elodie, check out ElodieKumari94's story _The Crow and the Dove_! Also, for the both of them, another story will be coming (eventually) called _A New Hope_, which is a collaboration between ElodieKumari94 and myself. That is the story I mentioned before about how Naomi met the rest of the gang; Yusei is a totally different story!

Anyway... Please review? I have cookies... Can you be bribed with cookies? I really love getting reviews... They make my day...


	6. Chapter 6 Beginning of the End

Author's Notes: Okay, I so now I owe five people cookies...(Yay^_^) ...Don't tune out on me by the first pagebreak, okay? I'll explain more at the end 'cause I don't want to ruin it now.

Anyway, enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Six - Beginning of the End<strong>

"The only choice left now is to continue forward, Yusei," the Time Caster stated. "Since you cannot turn back, I will not stop the events any longer; they will play through even if you call out for them to end, for time does not stop for anyone. The scenes will play as if you were watching a movie, but never forget this is now your past."

Once again the black faded, though this time not completely as the next scene was set along a deserted coastal highway at night. As Yusei watched, he saw a dark-colored car speeding along recklessly; he was already sure the driver was Misty. He watched as she broke through the guardrail and plunged into the water below; he watched as she died and was revived as a Dark Signer. These scenes flashed by, as if in fast-forward, as these events had been unaltered by his decision. His view flashed to the Nazca Lines of Peru just in time to see the first, Misty's Lizard, disappear in a flash of purple light.

The next scene, however, was an unfamiliar one. Greiger was sitting in a jail cell; Misty approached him, but she was disguised as one of the guards in order to not be noticed and gain access to his cell.

"Greiger," Misty whispered. The man looked up, startled; he wasn't accustomed to anyone in the Facility addressing him by name. "Greiger," she whispered again. "I know what it is you seek; what is is you sought that landed you here. I know you want revenge on Rex Goodwin, and I can guarantee it for you if you will join me, for I too am seeking revenge for someone I loved."

"Just tell me what I must do," Greiger responded.

Misty smirked. "It's simple really; you must die." Once again the view changed to the Nazca Lines as the Monkey disappeared from the Peruvian plain.

But it was the next scene Yusei found surprising - and disturbing. Below him he could see the city spread out - but it looked like the Satellite. Everything was in disrepair; buildings and roads had been almost completely destroyed. The streets were filled with broken glass and ruble from the fallen structures. Bridges were completely collapsed. In the midst of the ruble, however, one building stood unscathed by the destruction.

The Arcadia Movement.

Yusei's eyes grew wide. 'So this is what would have happened if Sayer had had his way! This destruction is also why the darkness is still being allowed to rise up here. This can't end well...'

His view zeroed in on the cemetery where most of the city's people were mourning - including himself. Dressed completely in black, he saw himself standing over a headstone bearing the name of both of his parents. Jack, Elodie, Crow, Kalin, and Naomi were all there, mourning for both of their parents. Though only her mother had been killed, Carly was there as well.

Yusei felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach as the realization hit him that all of them had still lost everything; his choice had been in vain. In fact, everything was now worse than it had been before! … But it was too late now; there was nothing he could do to turn back time. The only thing left was to watch.

The other version of himself shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and shuffled away from the fresh grave with his head down. As his alternate self continued through the deserted streets, he heard someone whisper his name. He lifted his head but saw no one. A moment later that same whisper came on a breath of wind: "Yusei Fudo!" the vowels dragged to an eerie length. He looked all around, turning circles, but still there was no one around.

"Wh - Who are you?" he called.

"Yusei Fudo! I know what you seek!" the voice whispered, dragging the vowels as before. "Come, Yusei Fudo! Power and revenge can be yours! Come; JOIN THE DARKNESS!"

* * *

><p>"I'm so sick of it, Yusei! I can't take anymore!"<p>

"What are you talking about, Leo?" The two boys were sitting at the kitchen table of Leo's home; Yusei was there helping the younger boy with an end-of-school-year project. Thanks to the destruction (though only minor to the school), the end of the school year had been pushed back a week; Yusei himself still had two more days of class before graduation.

"LUNA! That's what!" Leo shouted, waving his arms in an almost comical fashion.

"Your sister in a 'who', not a 'what', but please do elaborate."

"It's just... It's not that I hate her or anything - she is my sister after all - but sometimes I wish she wasn't my sister! She's better at everything than I am, and our parents like her better because of that, and I never get to do anything because she's always sick so our parents won't let me!"

Yusei chuckled, smirking. "I think there just might be a way I can help you, Leo."

"Huh? How?"

"I can help you get back at your sister for having to live in her shadow all these years." An evil, very-un-Yusei-like smile had appeared on his face, an evil glint to match shown in his eyes. "It's quite simple, really. Here; you'll need this."

"'Aslla Piscu'?" Leo asked, reading the name of the card Yusei had just handed to him. "How is a card gonna help me any?"

"It's not the card itself that will help you." Yusei gave an evil chuckle. "It will make sense, Leo, but only if you decide to join me."

"Join you in what?" Leo asked nervously.

"In taking over the world of course! You would rule in a world where you would live in no one's shadow and would never be hindered by anyone or anything! Come, Leo; give yourself up and join the Dark Signers!"

* * *

><p>Graduation day was upon the senior class of Duel Academy. Excitement was in the air, but it was over shadowed by the sorrow of loss; many of the graduates had lost one or both of the their parents to the destruction of the Arcadia Movement; many of those who should have graduated had been killed in the destruction as well. Sayer had taken over the ruined city but had still allowed the graduation ceremony to take place. The school building had taken a hit, but the damage had been repaired in time.<p>

The ceremony had just concluded, and the graduates were milling about the courtyard, taking photos with friends and being congratulated by family. A twinge of pain shot through Yusei's heart as he spotted Dicar across the courtyard with his parents; all three of them had been out of the city when the Arcadia Movement had destroyed everything.

Before he had too much of a chance to feel sorry for himself, however, he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist. They let go as he spun around and met a pair of soft, green eyes.

"Congrats, Yusei!" Naomi stated. Yusei couldn't help but smile a little; she could always brighten up his day.

"Yeah... You too!" he responded slightly less enthusiastically.

"Yusei?" she asked, her face reflecting a look of concern. "Is everything okay? I mean, it's your graduation; you should be happier than this."

He ducked his head, raven bangs falling over sapphire-blue eyes. "I guess I had just always thought my parents would be here for my graduation is all," he whispered, his tone laced with a note of bitterness.

"None of us had ever thought any different," Naomi whispered back. "But life is unpredictable, and sometimes you just have to let Fate have its way."

"Hmph. Fate had only ever been cruel to me, but now it will give me my revenge."

Naomi took a startled step back at the intensity of her friend's words. "Something's different about you, Yusei. You've been talking a lot about revenge lately - and power. What's going on?"

Yusei chuckled menacingly, his mouth curling up into an evil smirk. "I guess you could say I've had a change of heart. I met some one about a week ago who completely changed everything!" He lifted his head, an evil gleam in his eyes. "Power, Naomi, beyond anything you've ever dreamed! Now I have such a power coursing through my veins!

"And I can give you such power as well!"

She narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What's the catch?"

"The catch? Why nothing, nothing at all; except to die of course!"

Naomi's green eyes doubled in size. "What? Yusei, you've gone mad!" she breathed.

"Have I? Or have I simply let Fate have me? You don't stay dead long, my dear, before being reborn; reborn as a Dark Signer! Fate has chosen this path for me, don't you see? So what do you say, Naomi? What do you say to unstoppable power and ruling the world? Join me, Naomi, and together we will have everything!"

* * *

><p>On the plains of Peru, one set of lines after another disappeared, sending the locals into hysteria. Was the world as they knew it ending? First it had been the Lizard and the Monkey; now the Spider, the Hummingbird, and the Giant had disappeared as well. What in blue-blazes was going on?<p>

* * *

><p>"We have been called together across the sands of time," a feminine voice spoke to the other four Dark Signers. "Now is the time to rise up and conquer that which is rightfully ours; now is the time to rise up and take revenge on those who have wronged us!<p>

"Rise up, Dark Signers! For out of the darkness comes power and strength!

"RISE UP!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Actually I lied; I can't explain yet why I've done what I've done 'cause that would ruin everything except the last chapter. And by the second to last chapter, I think you'll understand why I've done what I've done without my telling you...<p>

So did you like it? dislike it? Yes I know characters are getting slightly OOC but all things considered... I think that's understandable, right?

Anyway, reviews please? I really love to see them; they literally make my day^_^


	7. Chapter 7 Rise of the Dark Moon

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long delay! Because of that fact, I will ramble on why this took soooo long _afterwards_! So, for now, enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven - Rise of the Dark Moon<strong>

'No,' Yusei thought, staring in disbelief and horror at the scene before him. 'This can't be happening; it's just not possible!'

'But it is possible,' a voice in his had whispered. 'After all, you were the one to wish this madness into being!' He couldn't deny either fact: He had been the one to wish for this, and now there he stood in a black cloak with a blood-red border and design, the whites of his eyes now midnight black.

Yusei had become a Dark Signer.

The situation only grew more dyer the longer he watched. Misty lit five candles in a candelabra, one for each of the Dark Signers; he could see that she was apparently the leader now instead of Roman Goodwin. The dim light of the five candles exposed a grim truth he had already known but had hoped was a lie: Leo and Naomi were Dark Signers now, as well; Leo's cloak bore a border of burnt orange while Naomi's was bordered in deep blue. Misty still bore the mark of the Lizard, but now Greiger had Devak's Monkey mark; Naomi bore Kalin's Giant, Leo had Carly's Hummingbird, and he himself had received Roman's Spider mark.

'But if I'm really a Dark Signer,' he thought, 'then who took my place?' He didn't have to wait long to find out.

Misty was again speaking to the other Dark Signers. "Fate has chosen us to rule this city, and rule it we will! But first we must defeat the one force that stands in our way: the Crimson Dragon. Just as we have been chosen to serve the God of the Netherworld, five people have been chosen to serve the Crimson Dragon; we must defeat them in a Shadow Duel. Not only will we be rulers after our victories, but we will also have the justice we long for, for our opponents are those who stand in our way. All of you know whom I mean."

Misty paused for a moment, a sly smirk showing evilly in the candlelight, before finishing her speech. "We who have met together have the upper hand; not only are our Earthbound Immortals undefeatable, but we know one another, as well. The Dragon Signers don't even know the legend they have become a part of; they don't know anything of the battle that was waged 5000 years ago or of the others they are unwittingly connected to. They do not know one another and so cannot draw strength from each other.

"Tonight the dark moon rises, signaling the end of the world as we know it; soon, very soon, darkness will reign as we are victorious!

"OUR TIME IS NOW!"

* * *

><p>Evening fell on Domino City, and with it came the dark moon: a moon that shown with an eerie purple light. The Dark Signers rose from the table they had been seated at and set out in search of their opponents. For Leo, it was only a matter of going home; for the others, the task would not be quite so simple.<p>

As Leo and Luna's parents were gone on a business trip of some kind, the youngest Dark Signer knew he would have no trouble with the task at hand. Leo entered to find his sister, Luna, in her usual position: she was seated on the couch, reading. She looked up as the door slammed shut, and as soon as her gaze met his, her olive eyes flew wide in shock.

"Leo!" the youngest Dragon Signer gasped. "What's wrong with your eyes? And - what in the world are you wearing?"

A very un-Leo-like laugh filled the room. "Oh, this? It's part of a little surprise I have planned for you, dear sister!"

"A... surprise?" Luna asked nervously. 'Why do I get the feeling this isn't gonna be good?'

"Why, yes, of course!" he smiled evilly. With a graceful swoop, he brought his left arm out from under his orange-bordered cloak, a black duel disk strapped to his forearm. "The other part is this: I challenge you to a duel!"

Luna sighed impatiently. "Leo, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no matter what your get-up, you can't beat me in a duel."

"Then what are you afraid of?" he sneered.

Luna narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Let's get one thing straight: I am definitely NOT afraid to face you; I just think it's a waste of time!"

"Scared-y cat!" Leo continued to mock.

"Fine then!" she shouted, jumping up and grabbing her duel disk.

"LET'S DUEL!" they both called in unison. Immediately, Luna knew something was wrong; the strange mark on her arm began to glow red and burn.

Leo chuckled. "Oh, I forgot to mention one minor detail: This is a Shadow Duel!" As he spoke, a wall of purple fire appeared, lighting the room. Had they been able to see what was happening from the sky or even outside from the ground, they would have seen the shape of a hummingbird engulf the Tops, destroying everything the purple fire touched. "Whoever loses will be receiving a one-way ticket to the Netherworld!

"And actually I forgot another thing!" Leo then whipped back the other side of his cloak, holding his arm up for Luna to see the mark of the Hummingbird as it glowed the same shade of purple as the fire. "You see, dear sister, I've had quite the growth spurt! You may not know what that mark on your arm means, but I do! The mark of the Claw identifies you as a servant to the Crimson Dragon, just as mine shows my loyalty to the God of the Netherworld!

"But enough chit-chat; let's get this duel started, shall we?"

"You still can't win, Leo! I don't care who you're a servant to; you'll still never be able to beat me!"

"Heh. We'll see about that!"

* * *

><p>Akiza sauntered down the long, empty corridor on her way up the Sayer's office. He had, once again, requested to see her without saying why; the secrecy and intrigue was starting to get on her nerves. Contemplating why he had called her this time, she turned a corner, almost running head-on into a cloaked figure.<p>

"Watch it!" she snapped.

"No, Miss _Akiza_," a feminine voice laced with malice spoke, "it is you who should watch her step!"

"Who are you?" Akiza demanded. "And how _dare_ you speak to me like that?"

The woman threw off the hood concealing her face to reveal long, black hair and cold, grey eyes.

Akiza gasped and took a startled step backwards. "Misty Tredwell?"

"I'm so glad you recognize me," Misty answered icily.

"What do you want here?"

"I want to know what you've done with my brother!"

"Your brother? I don't know anything about him!"

"Oh really?" Misty accused, venom dripping from every word she spoke. "Well, he sure knew a lot about you, Miss _Akiza_! Or should I say 'Black Rose'? He went to see you duel the day he disappeared, and he said he talked to you, too! It was_ you_ who told him all about this movement and _encouraged_ him to join! You _stole_ him from me!"

"I'm sorry, Misty," Akiza spoke, voice shaking with a quiet anger, "but I really don't know what you're talking about. I told everyone I talked to about the Arcadia Movement so if someone was hiding then they knew they could turn to us and wouldn't have to go through the same things I did! So, yeah, maybe I did talk to your brother, but you can't blame me for his disappearance! Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be." Akiza stepped around Misty and continued down the hall.

"Don't you walk away from me, witch!" Misty spun around and yelled after her. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

"Yes, well, I'm quite finished with _you_!" Akiza yelled back without breaking stride or even turning her head.

"You know what I think?" Misty continued without hesitation. "I think you enjoy other people's pain! Why else would you keep information about my brother from me? Why else would you take part in destroying an entire city?"

Akiza spun around to face the other woman. "Now wait just a second! I'd tell you if I knew something about your brother, but I don't! So lay off!"

"That doesn't explain why you destroyed the city." Akiza had no answer to that. Misty continued. "So let's settle this here and now, Miss _Akiza_, with a duel! You'll tell me one way or another what I want to know. So let's duel - that is, of course, unless you're _afraid_..."

Akiza's response was to stride over to a panel in the wall and remove a magenta duel disk already loaded with her deck. "I already told you I don't know what happened to your brother!" Akiza retorted. "But if beating you in a duel is what it takes to prove that, then I'm game!" Misty smirked; her plan had worked perfectly.

"Let's DUEL!" the two called out, activating their duel disks.

"Oh, there is just one minor detail I forgot to mention," Misty commented as a wall of purple fire rose up on either side of them. "This is a Shadow Duel, so whoever loses will be finding herself sent to the Netherworld! You see, Miss _Akiza_, I bear the mark of the Lizard; we were destined to duel, as that mark on your arm tells!" It was true; Akiza's Claw mark had come to life in a crimson light, much as Misty's Lizard mark had in purple.

"So tell me, Miss _Akiza_, are you afraid of me yet?"

* * *

><p>Elodie hurried through the darkening streets as thunder clapped overhead, bringing the threat of a downpour. 'What an evening for my runner to break down!' she thought miserably. 'Not to mention my cell phone going dead!' She groaned as lightening flashed overhead; what it exposed make Elodie stop dead in her tracks. A few yards off stood a figure, cloaked in black.<p>

"Hello, old friend!" a feminine voice called coldly. Whipping off her hood, she stated, "Remember me, Elodie?"

"N - Naomi?" Elodie gasped. "W - what - ?"

Naomi chuckled. "Surprised? You shouldn't be! You always knew I'd end up this way, didn't you? Even before Jack pulled you away from my friends and me, you knew I'd turn into the 'bad' girl!"

"N - no!" Elodie stuttered. "I never though any such thing! You were one of my closest friends, Naomi; why - how - could I ever think that?"

"Huh!" the Dark Signer scoffed closing the space between them as she continued speaking. "Some friend you were! Admit it, Elodie: You never liked me at all! You took pity on the poor girl who had nothing. After I had a few other friends, you welcomed the opportunity to leave and never come back!"

"Naomi, listen to me!" Elodie pleaded. "While Jack had the same lunch hour we did, I knew he would come and pull me away every day! I only kept away to avoid him constantly getting angry with me! And then, well, I made other friends, is all... It doesn't mean I didn't want to be friends with you anymore; it's just that things change! By the time I didn't have to worry about Jack pulling me away anymore, you'd changed; you weren't the same person anymore, and neither was I! I just - "

"Enough talk!" Naomi spat. "It's too late for you to fix the past, and you can't change destiny! We were destined to be enemies, Elodie, so we could duel each other as that mark on your arms tells! So let's get on with it and duel!" She activated her duel disk, stepping back a distance to create the playing field.

"If that's what you want," Elodie gave in, activating her own duel disk. "Though I'm not sure what this strange mark had to do with anything..."

"Let's DUEL!"

"One more thing," Naomi added with a smirk as she drew her first hand. "This is a Shadow Duel so the loser will soon after find herself in the Netherworld!" Lightening again lit up the sky, and a cold wind blew, chilling Elodie to the bone and filling her with a sense of fear. Suddenly Elodie knew what the other girl had meant as the Tail mark on her arm flared to life in a crimson light and a wall of purple fire rose up on either side.

"You'll regret having ever double-crossed me, Elodie Kumari!"

* * *

><p>"I know of the legend, Greiger," Rex Goodwin spoke evenly, hands clasped behind his back, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows of his living room. "No need to tell me of the Dragon Signers and Dark Signers or your purpose here, for I already know why you have come."<p>

"Then you will duel me, Goodwin!" Greiger commanded. "I have a score to settle with you, after all!"

"I will indeed duel you," Rex agreed, "but do know this: You will not defeat me! Of this I am entirely certain, for I have the powers of good on my side, and good is never defeated by evil."

"That's where you are sadly mistaken, Goodwin!" Greiger countered. "For I. Will. _Not_. _LOSE_!"

"Well, there is only one way for us to find out, and it is not standing here talking about it." Rex reached over to a nearby table, grabbed his duel disk and strapped it on, and inserted his deck. "Shall we?"

"Let's DUEL!" Purple light filled the room of Rex Goodwin's home as the Shadow Duel began; the Head mark on his arm flared to life as did Greiger's Monkey.

"You're gonna regret everything you've done to me Goodwin; _every last thing_!"

* * *

><p>BAM-THUD!<p>

"What the - !" Jack exclaimed as the side door leading from the outside to the kitchen in his father's house came crashing in. The blond had been sitting at the table, sipping a fresh cup of hot coffee, but now the pro-duelist was on his feet. It took a moment for him to spot the man who had knocked in the door since night had fallen; Jack still couldn't tell who it was, however, thanks to a black hood and cloak concealing the intruder. "Who are you?" Jack demanded. "Show yourself!"

"I'm kind of surprised you don't recognize me, Jack," a baritone voice responded as he stepped into the room. He lifted his head until he knew the blond could see his eyes.

Jack's violet eyes went wide as he recognized the sapphire blues staring back at him now. "Yusei?"

Yusei chuckled as he lifted the red-bordered hood from his head with both hands and let it fall backwards. Jack took a stop back in horror and surprise as the black did not disappear from the whites of the other man's eyes as he had expected.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Yusei asked with a devilish smirk.

Jack regained his composure and shot back, "What are you even doing here? I don't recall inviting you in!"

Yusei chuckled again. "Just having that mark on your arm is enough of an invitation for me to be here." He brought his right arm from under his cloak; the mark of the Spider already glowed purple there. "What do you say, Jack? A duel for old times?"

The blond grabbed his right forearm as crimson light began burning from it. "How did you even know about this?"

The raven-haired duelist chuckled again. "That's not of importance here. Tell me, Jack, do you even know what that mark means? I highly doubt it."

"It's true, I don't," Jack responded. "And I suppose I'm going to have to duel you to find out, aren't I?"

The Dark Signer responded by throwing back the cloak covering his other arm and activating his duel disk. "You know me too well."

"That was always your choice to settle something, even all the way back in primary school." Jack grabbed his own duel disk from the table and strapped it on to his left arm.

"Only now there's a catch: I fight on the side of the God of the Netherworld, and that will make this a Shadow Duel. Loser will spend all eternity in darkness!"

"It makes no difference to me; Shadow Duel or not, I can still clean your clock any day of the week!"

"LET'S DUEL!" Walls of purple fire sprang up on either side of the duelists.

"You're going to regret having ever stood in my way, Jack Atlas!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Another slightly repetitive chapter, I realize, but I wanted to get all the duels started and let you know who's facing who...<p>

Now, as for why this took so darn long: As of Monday, I am completely and totally addicted to Death Note... In four days, I have watched 26 of 37 episodes (It would have been more but other things prevented me from watching). As of today, I have decided to spred the episodes out a little more to make them last longer. In other words, it will NOT take so long to update next time.

Again, sorry for the oober long wait... Reviews? Pretty please? They make my day^_^


	8. Chapter 8 Dark VS Light

Author's Notes: It gets to be a little repetitive again because... well, you'll see^_^

Just a reminder: I don't own Elodie Kumari as she was created by ElodieKumari94. Elodie is used with permission and approval of the creator^_^  
>Naomi, on the other hand, is mine... If you wanna know her background (which may be helpful for future stories) let me know 'cause I'm not gonna post it otherwise.<p>

Enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight - Dark VS. Light<strong>

Yusei closed his eyes against the sight of his dark self and his former friend about to duel. 'This. Is. Not. _Happening_!' he silently begged. 'This isn't what I wanted!' He tried to think back to a time when he and Jack had been friends; he tried to think back to his days living in the Satellite in a futile attempt to change things back to the way they were.

But something was drastically wrong. Yusei could recall the fact that he and Jack had been friends, that Jack had betrayed him, and that somehow they had become friends again; but all other memories and all the details of the memories had disappeared as if someone had erased the words from the pages of history.

His eyes shot wide again in time to witness the first cards being laid in the duel, but he wasn't really seeing the moves being made. The harder he tried to recall his lost memories, the less he could remember; all he could come up with now was himself bullying Crow and Jack having always been his greatest rival. But Jack had once been his friend... hadn't he?

No! Why was he questioning what he knew to be true? Of course Jack had been his friend! But when had that been? Yusei was having trouble remembering. The memories he was trying so desperately to recall were no more than shadows now. It was then that the reality of the situation hit him: The Time Caster had meant it when he'd said Yusei wouldn't be able to return to the way it was; what he was seeing and had seen had become his past. Soon, he realized, he would remember nothing of his old life, his old friends, his old home. There was nothing left for him to do but to continue watching.

He tuned back into the duel just in time to hear himself laughing as Jack's Life Points dropped to 2500 on the first attack. Jack had had the first move, but Dark Yusei had then summoned out his level two Speed Warrior (ATT: 900, DEF: 400) in his first turn. Because of its special effect, Speed Warrior's attack points doubled and had no trouble taking out Jack's lone monster, inflicting 1500 points of damage.

"I end my turn with a face down." Dark Yusei smirked. He knew defeating his rival would be a piece of cake this time. "You know, Jack, you're gonna have to try harder than that to defeat me."

"I'm just getting warmed up!" the blond snapped, drawing a card. "_Perfect_!"

* * *

><p>"I activate the Savage Colosseum Field Spell!" Misty declared. "Thanks to this little spell you don't have a choice but to attack every turn! Every monster in attack mode that does not wage battle is destroyed! On the plus side, however, you gain 300 Life Points at the end of the damage step."<p>

Misty and Akiza were now standing on opposite sides of the Arcadia Movement building. Between them was only a great empty space reaching high above and far below them. If one was to venture to the railing, they could look down clear to the ground floor, seven stories below. The space also stretched upward for seven stories to an intricate skylight set in the ceiling. The duel field was this empty space, now surrounded by the Savage Colosseum.

"Is that all you've got? 'Cause I'm not afraid of some silly, little field spell!" Akiza retorted.

"You should be, Miss _Akiza_!" Misty smirked. "For this 'silly, little field spell' as you called it, is going to be your downfall!"

* * *

><p>"Why are you doing this, Naomi? I don't understand!" Elodie called out as her Life Points dropped to 3200 from the effect of a Counter Trap.<p>

"Don't you?" Naomi scoffed. "I'm rather surprised! Still, that fact isn't going to stop me from sending you to the Netherworld! Are you quite done yet?"

Elodie threw down two face-downs. "Fine. I'll just end with these."

"Good! Then I draw!" She smirked. "Just perfect! I activate the Mystic Plasma Zone Field Spell! Now all Dark attribute monsters gain 500 attack points, but they also lose 400 defense points. Fortunately for me, that last part doesn't really matter! Now that my Dark Magician has 2900 attack points, that's just enough to take down your beast! Go Dark Magic!"

Elodie cried out as her life points dropped by 300 more. "Why?" she pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"

Naomi chuckled evilly. "I end my turn. Make a move - _if you think you can_, that is."

* * *

><p>"I don't know what it is that you're trying to prove, Leo, but you're <em>really<em> starting to freak me out!"

"You've always been better at everything then I am! Now it's my turn to be the best!" Leo drew a card from his deck. He smiled sinisterly at his twin sister. "First I activate the Field Spell, Future Visions! From now on, any monster that is summoned is transported one turn into the future! Since I already have two monsters on the field, however, they're here to stay. But now it's time to bring out the big dogs!

"Since I managed to keep your Ancient-Fairy Dragon (ATT: 2100, DEF: 3000) from destroying Morphtronic Celphon last turn, I can now sacrifice him and my Power-Tool Dragon to special summon a monster that spells your defeat! For when the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal _a world without LIGHT_! Come forth Earthbound Immortal: _Aslla Piscu_ (ATT: 2500, DEF: 2500)!"

A great roar shook the building as thousands of purple lights - the souls of Domino's citizens - disappeared somewhere above the apartment. A moment later, the roof was torn off and a great hummingbird-like beast appeared overhead. Luna gasped in fear, taking several involuntary steps backward.

Leo laughed like a madman. "This is the end, Sister! Future Vision may transport my mighty monster into the future, but then his special ability activates! For every monster on your field, you take 800 points of damage! Last time I checked, you have two monsters on your field - just enough to take out your last 1500 Life Points!

"Take flight, Aslla Piscu! Disappear into the future and take my sister's Life Points down!"

* * *

><p>It was Misty's turn again. She still had 2700 Life Points remaining to Akiza's 2300, but right now Akiza had the advantage with her Black-Rose Dragon (ATT: 2800, DEF: 1600) on the field. Misty drew a card and smiled. Akiza wouldn't have the upper hand for much longer.<p>

"Prepare to be defeated, Miss _Akiza_! First I summon Reptilian Gardna to the field! Then I sacrifice my remaining monster and my newly summoned Gardna to summon an even greater force! For when the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal _a world without LIGHT_! Come forth Earthbound Immortal: _Ccarayhua_ (ATT: 2800, DEF: 1800)!"

Akiza watched as her fellow Arcadia members turned into purple lights that were quickly absorbed as payment to Misty's Immortal. Then right before her eyes, a Lizard so ginormous that it stood on the ground floor and could still reach the seventh story appeared in front of her.

"What the - ?" the psychic exclaimed in fright. Then she realized something: "What gives, Misty? That thing has the same amount of attack points as my dragon! You haven't won anything by summoning that thing!"

Misty smiled mischievously. "Oh, _really_? Well let me tell you something, Miss _Akiza_: Ccarayhua is allowed to attack you directly and is unaffected by any face-down traps or spells that are on your field!"

Akiza took a step back, gasping, eyes growing wide in fright. "No!"

"Oh, yes; this is the end for you, Miss _Akiza_! Finish this, Ccarayhua!"

* * *

><p>"Naomi! <em>Please<em>! Just _listen_ to me!" Elodie begged.

"I've had enough of listening to you! Are you finished with your turn or not?" the Dark Signer spat back.

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Elodie gave in.

"Good." Naomi smirked as she drew a card, and then laughed upon seeing what it was. "First I summon Witch of the Black Forest (ATT: 1100, DEF: 1200) from my hand. But she won't be staying for long! I sacrifice her and my Dark Magician to bring forth your end! When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal _a world without LIGHT_! Come forth Earthbound Immortal:_ Ccapac Apu_ (ATT: 3000, DEF: 2500)!"

The ground shook beneath their feet as more souls were sacrificed to yet another Immortal. 'What the _deck_ is going on now?' Elodie's mind screamed. 'This can _NOT_ be good!' As Ccapac Apu rose from the ground, she knew this duel could not end well. 'My Black-Winged Dragon (ATT: 2800, DEF: 1600) is no competition for that lump of lard!'

"Face it, Elodie!" Naomi taunted. "There's no way in the world you can take down my Earthbound Immortal!"

"That tub of lard? What are ya gonna do? Butter me to death?" Elodie shot back. 'I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie_I'mgonnadie_!'

"Joke while you can, 'cause after you lose you won't be! Ccapac Apu's special ability allows me to attack you directly, so say 'bye-bye' to your last 1500 Life Points!

"Go, Ccapac Apu; finish this duel and send Elodie to the Netherworld!"

* * *

><p>"You're done-for, Goodwin!" Greiger chuckled, looking at the card he had just drawn. "First I activate the Field Spell, Closed Forest. Then I sacrifice the two monsters on my field to bring forth you defeat and my justice! For when the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal <em>a world without LIGHT<em>! Come forth Earthbound Immortal: _Cusillu_ (ATT: 2800, DEF: 2400)!"

"No!" Goodwin gasped. "B - but... it's impossible to attack an Earthbound Immortal!"

"That's right, Goodwin!" Greiger snarled. "And no matter what you do you can't stop it from attacking you directly either! Not even with that Stardust Dragon's (ATT: 2500, DEF: 2000) special ability! I told you I would have my justice, and I meant it!

"Finish this, Cusillu!"

* * *

><p>"Red-Dragon Archfiend (ATT: 3000, DEF: 2500), take out his Turbo Warrior (ATT: 2500, DEF: 1500)!" Jack commanded.<p>

"Not so fast, Jack! I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, which negates your attack!" Yusei smirked as his Scarecrow was returned to the face-down position on his field for use again later should he need it.

Jack growled. "I end my turn with a face-down then."

The Dark Signer drew a card and smiled dangerously. "First I activate the Spider Web Field Spell! Then I sacrifice my Turbo Warrior and my Hundred-Eyes Dragon to summon your demise! When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal _a world without LIGHT_! Come forth Earthbound Immortal: _Uru_ (ATT: 3000, DEF: 3000)!"

Jack took an involuntary step back as the enormous spider materialized before him. Then, upon realizing something, smirked. "Hate to be the barer of bad news, Yusei, but your over-grown bug doesn't have the attack points to wrap-up my dragon: The two are evenly matched at 3000!" The blond was taken aback, his confident smile fading as Yusei began to laugh.

"Sorry, Jack, but this is one spider you won't be able to squash so easily, I'm afraid! You see, my Immortal has this wonderful little special ability that allows me to attack you directly! And that face-down Mirror Force you were hoping would save you? That's another special feature: Spell and Trap cards have no affect on my mighty Immortal!"

"WHAT?" he breathed, his violet eyes wide. "How did you know my face-down was Mirror Force?"

Yusei chuckled again. "You are so predictable, Jack; every time I ever saw you duel, you had that card face-down at some point in the duel. Not that it particularly matters; you can't use it anyway! Now is the end of the line for you, Jack Atlas!

"Uru, finish off his Life Points and send him to the Netherworld!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: So now you know where everyone's dragons ended up! As you might recall from chapter one, Goodwin was still entrusted with all of the dragon cards by Yusei's dad; that's how he got Stardust, in case you wondered. He put the others back into circulation, just like in the show, only this time he kept that one for himself.<p>

Anyway, I guess all that's left is to say Please Review! They make my day^_^


	9. Chapter 9 Dark Fire

Author's Notes: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy! Heh-heh... Sorry this took so long ^^;... For those of you who don't know, I pretty much live on my mom's laptop. Last week she had to turn it in to get programs (or something) installed since this is the computer she uses for work. I about died. Lol XD. Not to mention, I couldn't update because all of my files are on my mom's laptop, and I hadn't uploaded them all to the site yet. So I got on my my sister's laptop a couple times and on my other sister's desktop yesterday while I was babysitting (because he was napping), but I couldn't upload. So, without further ado, here is the next chapter.

Enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine - Dark Fire<strong>

No. It just wasn't possible. Yusei couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Dragon Signers had lost; all of them had fallen. He watched as one by one the Dark Signers' Earthbound Immortals attacked and as one by one the Dragon Signers' Life Points plunged to zero, and still he refused to believe his eyes.

He watched as the God of the Netherworld rose from the depths of the ocean and as the remaining people in the city cried out in fear and futilely ran for cover. As soon as the God hit the shores, a dark fire began to fall like rain from the skies. Everything the dark fire touched, it burned: the trees and parks, the concrete buildings, the asphalt roads; everything disintegrated under the God's power.

In a split second everything went black. Then a flash of white lightening exposed a new landscape: Where the city had once stood was now nothing more than charred rubble. Not a building nor a bridge stood anywhere in the barren landscape.

And everything was deathly silent. There was not a single creature spared from the destruction of what was once Domino City - except for five lone figures caped in black. Leo, Greiger, Naomi, and Yusei followed behind Misty as they surveyed the destruction they had knowingly caused. They made not a sound as their capes flowed over the blackened ground.

A swift breeze blew, stirring up ash and soot as well as sending wisps of smoke curling upward from the spaces of ground that were still smoldering. The solid ground was completely black, but where the ground slid away were pools of molten lava.

There was absolutely nothing recognizable left of what had once been the prestigious City of Domino.

"Well done," Misty told her following. "The God of the Netherworld is pleased with our success here. He has agreed to make us rulers over this lost city and to give us minions to rule over. Said minions will be the souls of those sacrificed to summon our Earthbound Immortals, and they will do our bidding without question. We will make an army of them and before long will use them to conquer the world!"

Yusei gave an evil chuckle. "I like the sound of that: world domination!"

"Hmm." Naomi smiled in agreement. "All the world will fall to us in dark fire, and then - " she smiled, reaching over and taking hold of Yusei's hand, "we shall rule over it. Together." Yusei returned her loving smile.

As the five continued on, a black tower rose up in front of them. It was from there that they would reign over the destroyed city. They reappeared on the balcony of the up-most floor of the tower a moment after entering. As the watched, black shadows began to rise from the ashen landscape all around them.

"Ah," Misty commented, "our minions have arrived."

The souls of the people fed to the Earthbound Immortals came back as nothing more than mindless ghouls, creatures that were not capable of thinking for themselves but existed only to be commanded by their masters. Yet they were still recognizable as individuals to the watching Yusei; he could see many people he thought he should recognize but could not place a name to a face for. He could also see people he knew the names of: Crow and Kalin were both present among the mob.

As Yusei continued to watch the throng grow as more souls were returned, he realized something that scared him half to death: He was suddenly aware that he was now watching the events unfold from the balcony - not from above as he had seen everything else. He could feel Naomi's hand in his, and when he looked down at himself, he was clothed in the attire of a Dark Signer. He caught sight of himself in a mirror inside the room behind him: The whites of his eyes were now midnight black. He was no longer watching the events unfold - _he was living in them_.

Though he didn't show it on the outside, his mind was reeling. 'No. There _has to be_ a way to change everything back to the way it was! There just _has to be_!'

'Oh, but there's not!' a voice in his head spoke; it was a tone Yusei didn't like: similar to his own voice but laced with malice. 'Embrace it, Yusei; accept that you are now a Dark Signer!'

'_Never_!' Yusei fought back against himself. 'I bare a mark of the Crimson Dragon!'

'Not anymore, you don't!' the voice reasoned. 'You gave that up when you stopped Zero Reverse from happening! Can you even remember that mark?' Silence. 'I didn't think so! You will give in, Yusei, eventually. _You cannot fight the darkness that now lives in your soul_!'

'You_ lie_!'

'Do I? You can run but you can't hide from the truth, for you know what I'm saying isn't lies!'

Even as Yusei argued against his dark self, he could feel the darkness present and could feel it slowly taking him over. 'Oh, Yami! What have I done? It wasn't supposed to be like _this_!'

The evil voice inside his head laughed. 'I told you, you can't run from the fate you have chosen, and that fate is the darkness! Give in, Yusei; it will be so much easier that way!'

As the voice spoke, he knew it to be true: he could feel the darkness creeping slowly into every crevice of his heart and soul. 'No! … No... I can't let it win! There _has_ _to be_ a way to fight this!'

'You don't really have a choice in the matter anymore!' the voice laughed. 'You can give in, or it can take you over slowly by force; that's about all the choice you have!'

He could feel his heart growing cold now and his mind growing black - and he knew he was powerless to stop it. As much as he tried to fight it, it was impossible to defeat. It was too late to change what had already been changed; too late for him to return to his old life.

As he felt the darkness closing in over him, he uttered one last desperate cry to a world that knew nothing of what had taken place.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: The End. Haha, okay, not really! Still one more chapter^_^ And I hope know you know why I made Yusei a Dark Signer. (In case you didn't pick up on that: I had to have someway for him to not die for one thing...) And yes, I also paired my OC, Naomi, with him in this dark world XD. Haha, don't worry, you'll never see her paired with him again after this chapter!<p>

One last thing: If you wanna read more about how Naomi really is and how she knows Yusei and the gang, let me know; I have her story written, but I'll only post it if you people wanna read it.

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing^_^ I just love reviews^_^


	10. Chapter 10 Truth and Consequences

Author's Notes: Final chapter! A little sad, maybe, but all good things must come to an end... Special thanks to everyone who has followed this through to the end (and cookies to those who have reviewed^_^ ... *sigh* I really wish I could send you cookies anyway...)! ! !

Note: Unless you have read anything by ElodieKumari94 about her OC, Elodie, then this is something you'll need to know to understand the end: Elodie is a psychic with several different abilities. The only one you need to know for this however, is that she can see other people's auras/ feel other people's emotions.

Enjoy^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten - Truth and Consequences<strong>

"NOOOOO!"

Yusei sat bolt upright, breathing hard and shaking uncontrollably. His mind was a myriad of images of what he had just witnessed. 'What's going on? Where am I?' He hadn't been lying on a bed before; last he'd known, he was standing in a tower. Yet he sensed that something was different then it had been a moment ago. Out of instinct, he glanced at his right arm; the Head mark of the Crimson Dragon glowed dimly there, though only just a moment ago it had been the Dark mark of the Spider. Yusei was having a hard time telling which was reality. Had it all been a dream? Or was he dreaming now, perhaps?

"Yusei?" He jerked his head up to find the source of the voice. Crow placed a hand on Yusei's shoulder, a look of concern in his deep grey eyes. Yusei looked away again, his sapphire blue eyes darting around the room, taking in the rest of his visitors. '_Akiza_? _JACK_? What's going on? Why are they here? HOW are they here?' his mind screamed. It felt like someone was strangling him; just what the DECK was doing ON? He had witnessed every single person standing before him now either sacrificed to an Earthbound Immortal, defeated by an Immortal, or turned into a Dark Signer like himself! Yet here they all were: Leo, Luna, Akiza, Jack, Crow, Kalin, Misty, Naomi, and Elodie, all gathered around giving him worried looks. Leo, Misty, and Naomi definitely did NOT look like Dark Signers anymore, and Crow's right arm also glowed dimly, much like his own strangely did, along with Akiza's, Luna's, and Jack's.

Yusei swallowed hard. Everything he had just experienced couldn't possibly have been a dream; it had been to real for that, but this was too real to be a dream as well. So which was reality? They couldn't _both_ be!

His answer came from a dark-cloaked figure standing in the corner whom Yusei had glanced over. "Don't be too worried for your friend; his mind is a little muddled right now, confusing reality with what he just experienced - an alternate reality, if you will."

He felt Crow tense at his side. "What did you DO to him?" Whoa. Since when was Crow concerned for him? Yusei had only ever terrorized him. Unless...

The man in the corner didn't hesitate in his answer. "I gave him what he asked for: He wanted to stop Zero Reverse, so I simply showed him the consequences of that choice. You should be grateful; I could have made his choice a reality."

With the man's response, everything started to make more sense to Yusei as a few memories started to return. Zero Reverse. His parents. Satellite. His friends...

"That still doesn't tell me what the deck you just did to him!" Crow fumed.

"You really don't want to know what the boy has been through. Believe me."

Yusei took a deep breath and spoke before Crow could retort again: "If you won't believe him, Crow, then believe me; you don't want to know."

Everyone stared at the raven-haired boy as he scooted himself backwards on the bed and leaned on the headboard for support; no one had thought he'd say anything considering the wild fear they'd seen in his eyes when he had first come around.

The Time Caster - for that was who the man was - broke the sudden silence. "Must be getting some of his memory back," he muttered. To Yusei he stated, "But now you realize why things had to happen the way they did, don't you?"

Yusei nodded. "Then all of that was just a dream?"

"Not a dream, no," the Time Caster answered. "Dreams often times make no sense and have no logical sequence of events. I suppose you could call it a vision, but often times visions make little sense either. I would call it an 'alternate reality,' though I know that doesn't really explain anything. If Zero Reverse had been stopped, what you saw is _exactly_ what would have happened.

"You see, everything in this life has a purpose - _a reason_ - for happening. There's also a reason why we are not allowed to go back and change anything in our lives. While sometimes the change would bring about a better ending, that's not always the case; in fact most of time the ending is far worse. But when you're looking back, all you can see is how everything would be better if this one thing hadn't happened. Most people can't see the reason it happened or the amount of good it had brought; they can only see how they're sure it would've been better.

"And, at first, maybe the result would be better, but, as you quickly found out, the situation can become much worse than before, too. You may not ever realize the reason for something, but I assure you, there always is one. You may have grown up without parents, Yusei, but it has only made you that much stronger, given you that much bigger of a heart to care for others with. It has shown you the meaning of true friendship and loyalty and what it takes to stand up for yourself and others. It has given you true courage in the face of adversity and shown you that a real hero is one who does not count the cost of helping others, even if it means he receives nothing in return or he may lose his own life for the sake of others. It has made YOU a hero to so many.

"I hope you take what I've just told you to heart, Yusei; you have so much to live for in this life and have brought so much hope and strength to those around you. I know your father would be proud." Without another word, the Time Caster turned and left the room.

The room was completely silent for a moment; no one could think of anything to say after that. Yusei was the one to finally break the silence. "How is it all of you are here anyway? Last time I checked, only Jack, Crow, and I actually live here..."

Everyone smiled and relaxed, seeing him back to his normal self. "Well," Crow started, "Jack, Akiza, Luna, and I all found out 'cause of our marks. We could feel you freakin' out - that right there told us something was really wrong - but we could also feel that were unconscious - that really freaked us out. We came as fast as we could, and when we got here, we found that guy, but he wouldn't tell us anything except that you were unconscious but fine, which totally made zero sense. After that it was just a matter of waiting for you to come around."

"Well, that explains four of you..." Yusei trailed off.

"I just came with Luna on our duel boards," Leo answered with a shrug.

"Elodie and Naomi were with me, out shopping," Akiza responded. "We stopped by Misty's boutique to see if she wanted to come to lunch with us."

"But I already had a lunch date with Kalin," Misty continued. "He arrived right after the girls did, so we were all there when her mark lit up."

Yusei nodded, satisfied, and then the room fell silent once again. Leo was the one to break it this time, his curiosity getting the best of him. "Yusei," he wondered aloud, "I know you said we didn't want to know, but I can't help it! What happened?"

Yusei sighed and averted his eyes downward. At the same time, he could sense someone's eyes boring holes into his soul: It couldn't have been anyone except Elodie. He glanced back up in time to see her glowing amber eyes fade back to their normal hazel. She knew what it was he'd seen. Her normally calm countenance was faltering as she struggled to comprehend what it was he'd just been through.

"Trust me, Leo," she spoke in a wavering tone. "It's much better if you never know. If either of us were to tell you, you would regret having asked."

"Ah, c'mon! Pretty please?" he begged. "Whatever it is, I can handle it!"

"Fine," Yusei gave in with a sigh, lowering his eyes again. "For starters, you were a Dark Signer."

"WHAT?"

"That's not the half of it," Elodie whispered.

"I WAS A DARK SIGNER?"

"You were warned," Luna pointed out as Leo started running around in crazy circles.

"I WAS A DARK SIGNER? THAT'S SO NOT COOL! YOU'RE RIGHT; I'M SORRY I ASKED!"

"He didn't even hear the worst part," Yusei sighed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - " BAM! Everyone spun around to see that Leo had run into the wall in his sporadic moment of - well - being Leo.

"Leo!" Kalin rushed over to where the boy had fallen. "Are you okay?"

The boy sat up as if nothing had happened. "JUST AS LONG AS I'M NOT A DARK SIGNER!"

"Doesn't miss a beat, does he?" Crow commented to Yusei.

"Hm." Yusei smiled. "That's Leo for you, I guess."

"That definitely must have been one crazy dream-vision-whatever you wanna call it," Naomi commented. "I mean, no offense but Leo? A Dark Signer? I can't see it!"

"Well, he was better at dueling... But you don't know that half of it." Yusei shook his head. As much as he wanted to explain what had happened, he knew it would be better to keep it to himself; he had already seen how it had effected Elodie, and he couldn't stand the thought of putting his other friends through that, too. Some things were simply better left unsaid.

But there was one thing that did need to be said. He had lost Akiza in that 'alternate reality' as the Time Caster called it. He vowed right then and there that he would never let her go. He looked over to her only to discover she had already been staring at him. Caught in the act, Akiza blushed and looked down. Yusei finally got up from his bed and went over to where she had seated herself on the floor. He sat down beside her.

"Akiza." She gazed back up at his smiling face. Yusei reached up with his right hand and cupped the side of her face in it. His eyes fell half closed as he leaned towards her, and they shut completely as he pressed his lips gently to hers. The room fell deathly silent. As he pulled away after a moment, he whispered, "I love you, Akiza."

A loud "OOooOO!" filled the room, started by Leo but the other boys quickly joined in - all except Crow, however, who was hooting with laughter instead. While the guys "Ooo"-ed, the girls "Aww"-ed, and now it was time for Yusei to blush along with Akiza. But the raven-haired boy didn't mind; he loved her and didn't care who knew it.

As he gazed at the people standing in his room, it was difficult to believe he ever could have wished for anything different. It was true that a lot of hard times had come their way, but they had always made it through before; Yusei was confident that as long as they had each other, they would always make it through to see the better days on the other side of the hardships.

After everything he had just been through, this evening felt like a new beginning, and Yusei was determined to make the most of this 'second chance' he'd been given.

"'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Good ending? ? Yes? No?<p>

Haha you can actually thank ElodieKumari94 for the Leo-running-into-a-wall scene XD. I don't even remember where that came from but one day it just kinda came to mind and I was all like "AHAHA! I should totally use that!" So I did ^_^

Oh, by the way, I don't actually own the last sentence. Nope, I dont. It's a line from the song "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls. And I don't own it.

So...Any final reviews out there? Pretty please? I will love you forever for reviewing a final chapter^_^


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